Regensburg: contrasts and colours

 

There is the church tower of the Dreieinigkeitskirche on Gesandtenstrasse, the street of the ambassadors of old, accessible for a small fee. There is the Princess’s kitchen within the Emmeram palace yard, set up to feed those who have fallen on hard times, but also available from 11:30 to 1pm on workdays for those who wish to pay a very modest price for three courses – and take a look at the beautiful palace churches while you’re there. There is the Maria Lang chapel on the corner opposite the cathedral and post office, through a nondescript door next to the optician which unexpectedly opens up into a two-storey church in miniature complete with pews. 

 

There is handmade Italian gelato in Ludwigstrasse, and there is more wonderful Bavarian food – including what is probably the world’s largest schnitzel – at the Kreuzschänke, in the street called Kreuzgasse beyond the Arnulfsplatz with its many bakeries and buses. If that is not your taste, head to the quiet street called Am Ölberg, where you will find the very finest in Indian, Italian and Spanish cuisine. The best breakfasts can be had at Rive Droite in Ludwigstrasse and Goldenes Kreuz on Haidplatz, while wonderful bagels are sold at the Kona Coffee Gardens on Kassiansplatz. Also on Kassiansplatz is a wonderful Turkish delicatessen and fruit shop where I once worked a summer for Mr. Sarik – I recommend the stuffed tomatoes and feta wraps, but be sure and ask how hot ("scharf") the cheese mixture is in the stuffing! 

 

Further west of Arnulfsplatz but still within the medieval walls you will find a maze of tiny streets and houses, including the infamous Kuhgasse where a cow and a baker’s boy once met head on and could not pass. Don’t miss a guided tour of the underground relics of layered civilisation below the Neupfarrplatz, from the Romans to the Middle Ages – the tobacconist on the corner sells tickets. Try the sunflower seed bread at the bakery next door with the pink sign. And look out for the alleyways leading from street to street between Neupfarrplatz and Haidplatz. These wide arches were once entries for coaches belonging to the grand houses which are now divided into smaller apartments. See a performance or movie in the Turm-Theater on Watmarkt if you can: a singular experience to be entertained high up in a tower. 

 

Check out the ever-changing Historic Museum on Dachauplatz, with its charming courtyard cafe, and while you’re in the area, go into the vestibule of the Neues Rathaus (new town hall, and city council chambers) under the part of the building which arches over the street – here is a minutely rendered wooden model of Regensburg’s historic centre, with every bridge and building in place. Also in this area, be sure and view the basement of the carpark building: it contains a long stretch of original Roman wall discovered during excavations and left there with the carpark overhead. You can follow the course of this wall riverward to its rounded corner, then left up a little street where you will see the remains of the Roman camp’s gateway, still in use today. 

 

Oftentimes on the streets you will see stone pillars of various sizes and shapes attached to the corners of buildings. These were made in the days of coach travel, to stop the carriage wheels from coming too close to the house walls – as this would risk chipping off bits of stone at the corners higher up. Indeed, if you see corners without pillars, chances are the wall’s been chipped at that spot. Of course, the same is true of cars as it was of carriages, so these ancient stones still fulfill their purpose.

 

These are just a few of the things that can be seen on a foray into this ancient and vibrant city, and no doubt you’ll find your own favourite corner. Cobblestones and cafes, towers and taverns, restaurants and Romans, wide squares and tiny buses, the elegant and the eccentric.